Away Went the Clouds and Out Came the Sun
by saltyrunner878
Summary: Hatred and war destroyed my childhood but this one gave me a future. I saw the sun shining once again and the flowers growing when I saw him. He gave me a future. He taught me how to smile and laugh. He showed me happiness.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The sun dimly shone through a hole in the crumbling stone wall. The flowers, that once stood proud on their growing stems, bend in odd directions, nearly falling apart. Gone is the green grass and the happy cries of children. Gone is the blue sky which has become a stormy gray this past week, but I am used to this.

I grew up to the horrid cries of fleeing humans and flames eating up everything in its path. Red and black is an everyday color for me. What is a home? Such a simple question, yet I cannot answer it. My family has been on the road since I was born and as my family dwindles we carry on.

I was born under a bridge during the cold winter. My grandmother once told me that the cold winter, I was born during, was a good thing because it has hardened me for the future… but she was wrong. Watching my sister murdered in front of my eyes was my undoing. I slowly started to crumble and I could not take any of it anymore. But I had to carry on and carry the pain with me.

War stalks me. It falls in my footsteps. I wonder if I can laugh again. Or smile, cry happy tears, and look over my shoulder without any fear. I have forgotten how to do the most simple of things… and it scares me.

It was when I was staying at Minas Tirith, the City of Kings that war, again, came to my doorstep. But this was different. Hatred and war destroyed my childhood but this one gave me a future. I saw the sun shining once again and the flowers growing when I saw him. He gave me a future. He taught me how to smile and laugh. He showed me happiness.

My name is Eve.


	2. I Help Even When Nobody Helped Me

Chapter 1

There was a loud crash as another proud stone wall crumbled into small pieces followed by more cries from fearful mothers carrying their children to safety. I was watching the horrendous action from the safety of the sixth level of Minas Tirith, the disgusting orcs looking like little ants. My job is to help bring in the women and children and help the wounded.

"Do you need help?" I asked a young boy, with curly brown hair looking lost.

"I can't find mamma," he replied with sorrowful eyes, looking up at me.

The little boy's eyes startled me. How can a small boy, who has hardly lived, have such eyes that look as if they have experienced more than they must?

"We shall find her. Do not worry," I replied, bringing him along with me.

Everywhere was getting full. Every house and corner was cramped with people and their belongings, trying to get as far from the destruction as they possibly can.

"Eve! Eve!" I heard my name shouted amongst the crowd.

The woman calling my name was a fellow nurse at the Houses of Healing.

"What is it?"

"We need you quickly! More and more keep spilling in and there aren't enough of us. There isn't even enough space to contain them all!" She frantically explained, while her eyes were growing larger at the sight of all the people.

"I'll be right over." I suddenly remember the boy holding on tight to my dress. "Please help him to find his mother."

"I can't do that. You think he is the only child here not knowing where his parents are?" And she ran off into the crowd.

I sighed, knowing what she said is true. "I guess you are stuck with me then," I told him, giving him a reassuring smile.

The healing ward was worse then what the nurse told me. All the beds were full and the floors even contained injured soldiers. The room had a stuffy smell from all the bodies. I had the boy sit in a corner washing bed sheets. The first man I approached had a deep gash on the side of his head. I knew it was a lost cause but there was something in his eyes, the unshed tears and his want to continue protecting his city that forced me to help him. I bathed his head and tightly wound a cloth around. There was really nothing more to be done but hope.

Hope.

Such a simple word to say and write, yet hard to believe in. My hope was dashed when no one came to save my sister. I realized coming to Minas Tirith was a bad idea but there was some sort of force that forced me to stay and help. If no one could save my sister, I can at least have a good feeling in helping others.

I was deep in my work on helping a young soldier, with a broken arm, when the little boy pulled on my sleeve.

"Do you hear that?" He asked.

I stopped what I was doing and listened closely. Everyone else did likewise. It was a horn. Many horns sounding off in the distance. Everyone that was able ran to a nearby window or outside to see what the noise was. I was dragged out by the boy and saw in the distance… horses.

Thousands of horses.


	3. The Bluest Eyes I Have Ever Seen

Chapter 2

**One week later…**

White flowers drifted down from the buildings over us all. Women wearing their finest dresses and men wearing their best and clean armor are walking around smiling. It has been many years since I have last seen a real smile, a smile that brightened up the eyes.

It has been a week since the battle was won and the tower of Barad-dûr came crashing down. Now there is another mad rush for the coronation of a man named Aragorn. I have not yet seen him or anyone from the famous fellowship that I have heard so much of and I very much wish to. There has been much talk of hobbits. In all my years of traveling I have never set my eyes on a hobbit, and the savior of our world are two hobbits named Frodo and Sam.

All the preparations and celebrations going on now make it seem that everything in the past had never happened…

_I have never seen so many horses in my life. They trampled down the orcs as if they were nothing but weeds in a field. Emil and I sat and watched through a wide window. Emil is the boys name and we had only just found out that his mother was killed. He will not leave my side at all and has declared that I am now his mother. I have never taken care of a child before. We both cheered as we watched the orcs retreating back to the river but all our happiness was drained out of us as we saw looming shadows in the distance. _

"_What is that?" asked Emil. _

_It was a __Mûmakil, great animals with huge ears and long tusks. There was not just one Mûmakil but about twenty of them. _

_We watched with great sadness as we saw horses and men being picked up and flown through the air. _

_I didn't dare watch, so I turned away and ran from the window. _

_I was sitting next to a young boy, only nineteen, with a broken leg until Emil came running in. "Come quickly!"_

"_What is it?"_

"_I don't know. Suddenly ships arrived on the river and green shadows came pouring out." I have never seen Emil look so excited. He was hopping up and down in excitement at the new turn of events. _

"Has anybody seen Emil?"

That boy has run off again for the fifth time. I do not blame him though. So many are here for the coronation; elves, men, women, and children from all over the land, and I have even seen a dwarf! There is so much to see.

Today is the day! The day has hardly begun and yet there are so many out and about. It is impossible to find a small child amongst this crowd.

"Emil! Where are you?" I shouted out as I ran around a corner, when suddenly I collided with another. The impact was strong and running did not make it any softer. Thankfully I was grabbed by the shoulders before I went tumbling down.

"Are you alright?" asked a soft voice.

I had to shake my head to get rid of the dizziness and I looked up into the bluest eyes I have ever seen. They reminded me of the color of the sea near my birth town.

"I…uhhhh... yes, I'm fine," I stuttered, regaining my balance as he let go of my shoulders.

"Who are you searching for, if I may ask, to have you running wildly?" He seemed rather curious and amused.

Standing in front of me was an elf and what a beautiful elf he was with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a perfectly flawless face. I have never been so close to an elf before and I have always wanted to meet one. Now, that I am near one and I stutter like an idiot… "Good job Eve," I murmur angrily to myself.

"What did you say?" The elf asked, have heard because of his sharp ears.

"Nothing, nothing! I was…ummmm…" For some reason the words just would not come to me. It has been a while since I have been in close proximity with another, especially a male. "I was searching for Emil. I am taking care of him."

He looked down at me rather amused causing me to burn up in humiliation.

"I just saw a boy run up that way. He did not seem very happy."

Not happy? Just last night the little boy was glowing with excitement and anticipation for this day.

I decided now is the best time to make a run for it before I amused him further with my stuttering and foolishness. "Thank you so much," I bowed and ran off in the direction he pointed.


End file.
